


See Where They May Fall

by OsfameronTanamoril



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Canon Dialogue, D&D Monsters Instead of Personas/Demons, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Gen, adult characters, in media res opening, more tags to come in the near future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:55:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25613926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OsfameronTanamoril/pseuds/OsfameronTanamoril
Summary: After a disastrous incident involving a visiting nobleman, amateur rogue Ren Amamiya is exiled from his home kingdom and forced to look for work in a distant town. Upon his arrival, he gets involved in something much bigger than expected, and enters a dubious pact with a malevolent entity in the hopes of using his new power to save the world...A Persona 5 Dungeons and Dragons AU that roughly follows the plot of the original game with a few differences.
Kudos: 3





	See Where They May Fall

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: This work is inspired by the game Persona 5, which is owned by Atlus, and the game Dungeons and Dragons, which is owned by Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast. I do not take any credit for any of the ideas or dialogue in this work.  
> Now that that's out of the way, please, enjoy the story.

On a cool night at the end of fall, there was a ball being held at the governor's palace. Inside the candlelit hall, people danced, laughed, and ate to their heart's content, as reckless debauchery reigned all around. It seemed like a wonderful night for celebration, though as it quickly turned out, the wild atmosphere wouldn't last long. A shadowy figure, hidden underneath a black cloak, leaped between the eaves of the great hall. "Hey, up there!" yelled someone, and within moments, all the revelers stared up as the man in the cloak dropped onto a chandelier, a cocky grin visible on his face as he cheerfully waved to the crowd.  


"He's here!" muttered a gruff voice from below, and a band of muscular men dressed in the colors of the royal guard burst in, armed to the teeth with swords, spears and bows. The cloaked man chuckled to himself, and with a deft twist of a grappling hook hidden under his cloak, he latched onto an unlit sconce on an upper-floor balcony, and he swung over the crowd's heads. Shrieks began to ring out as the guards drew their bows and opened fire on the cloaked man who, making sure he had a small chest still tucked under his arm, laughed and ran for the stairs. There was a flash of blue light in his pocket and he pulled out a small stone engraved with a talking head.  


"Good, now get running! We'll get the chest on our end. Showing yourself was a good move. Nice as always, Joker!" whispered a woman's voice through the stone. The man grinned, and held the stone up to his mouth. "Sure thing, Oracle," he quietly said, and dropped the stone back into his pocket. There was a yell ahead, and some of the guards appeared at the top of the stairs. Joker simply gave them a cheery grin and turned around, running down the hall in the opposite direction. There was the twang of a bow, and the rush of an arrow past his head, but he dodged out of the way just in time. Pulling out the grappling hook again, he leaped into the air. With another metallic thud as the hook hit a torch sconce, Joker swung himself into another room and up to a higher balcony.  


A horrifying growl came from up ahead as he landed, and looking up, Joker saw an armored minotaur charging towards him. An altogether more wicked smile flashed across his face, and he raised his hand towards the oncoming monster. Under his breath, he whispered an incantation, and a menacing, dark red light seemed to flow through the air. Glowing tendrils of energy erupted from his body, battering the minotaur and staggering its movements. It gasped for air for a moment before lunging towards Joker, and a stream of fire erupted from its mouth. Joker dived out of the way in a flash, though the hem of his cloak was badly singed, and seemed to vanish into the shadows.  


As the minotaur roared and swung around to look for him, Joker set down the chest and pulled a shortsword and a hand crossbow from under his cloak. Taking careful aim, he launched a crossbow bolt straight through a chink in the monster's armor and into its back. The monster bellowed in rage and ran straight towards him, but Joker ducked underneath the swing of its battleaxe and drove his sword directly into its chest. It bellowed again and reached to grab him, but with an evil chuckle Joker called up the dark energy again and grabbed the minotaur by its snout. This time, a dim red light flowed from the monster into him, and with a wail, the minotaur collapsed dead. Chuckling again, Joker withdrew his sword and wiped it clean on the underside of his cloak before gathering up the chest again and running for the stairs.  


A couple more minotaurs leapt from doors along the passageway and swung at him, but Joker took a running leap and got past them, barely managing to make it to the stairs. He could hear them approaching from behind him as he wound further and further towards the top of the building, dashing through dark halls and dodging the guardsmen that were beginning to swarm the building. Passing by an open door, he could hear someone, a guard captain perhaps, yelling commands. He took another leap and found himself in one of the palace's main halls, where party guests were frantically running for cover. A barricade was being formed by the guards, and as he glanced around, he saw that all exits were being covered. In fact, the only way he could escape from the palace was by…  


"Over there!" yelled someone behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw a patrol of guards farther down the hall, all pointing spears at him. "There's nowhere to run!" one of them yelled again, edging slightly closer to him. Joker backed up, all the way to the balcony railing, and surveyed his exit path again. A smile crossed his lips again, and with a quick leap he was running along the railing towards the other side of the room. He could hear gasps from below and shouts from the guards as they dropped their weapons and drew bows instead. But by the time they had gotten a good aim on the cloaked man, he had made it to the other side of the room. He smiled at them again good-naturedly.  


"See ya," he said cheerfully, before throwing himself forward and through the massive stained-glass window he was standing in front of. Glass shattered and people screamed, but Joker just smiled as he did a quick midair twirl and dropped to the ground below. The shock rang through his whole body, but he grinned; the showiness of his escape plan was worth it. He climbed to his feet, gathered up the fallen chest, and prepared to run forward through the palace courtyard, but, out of nowhere, lights shone from the shadows. Dozens of royal guards emerged from hiding, lighting torches and drawing spears. "Capture him!" yelled a man who looked like their leader and, without even considering what could happen to him, Joker dropped the chest, turned, and ran from them.  


Leaping into the air, he snagged a vine growing on the palace wall and climbed to a window on a higher floor. But, as he made his way to the ledge, he realized a moment too late that a number of murderous-looking guards were waiting just inside the building. A spear butt caught him in the chest, and Joker's grip on the wall loosened. With a yell, he collapsed to the ground and was immediately swarmed by the guards waiting for him there. In moments, he was pinned to the ground, and his weapons were pulled from his grip. The captain of the guards approached him and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.  


"Didn't expect to find some street rat," muttered the man as he knelt down to look Joker in the eyes. "You have your teammate to thank for this. You were sold out." Letting the man's head fall back to the floor again, the captain turned away and tossed a pair of manacles to the guards restraining Joker. "Cuff him." The iron bands clicked around his wrists, and Joker struggled in vain as he was pulled to his feet and dragged to the palace gates. Someone struck him over the head, and everything faded to black.  


The next few hours went by in a flash. Joker's cloak and armor was confiscated, leaving him dressed in a ratty old tunic and trousers. One moment, he found himself collapsed on the floor of a carriage, the next, he was blearily letting the guards make sketches of him before dragging him away. Time seemed to go by too quickly as potions were forced down his throat and he was bombarded with seemingly endless strings of questions. Eventually, he began to drift back to consciousness as he stirred awake in a dark room. Everything seemed hazy and unclear, and his memories were flicking in and out of focus. Two dark shadows loomed in front of him, though he couldn't make them out, and spoke words he couldn't understand. A bucketful of water crashed into his face, and he blinked wearily as the forms of two royal guards came into view. He suddenly realized that his hands were manacled to the chair he was sitting in, but after a futile moment of struggling discovered that he couldn't break free.  


"You still don't get it, do you?" roared one of the guards. "Give it up!" He delivered Joker a strong punch to the face, sending the weakened man tumbling to the floor. Coughing, Joker struggled to get up, and the man promptly stomped on his head. "Come on, cooperate. Or do you want another of those potions?" The guard ground his boot into Joker's skull, and the pain, though hazy, still shot through his entire body. "You still haven't figured it out?" said the guard, kneeling down and grabbing Joker by the hair. "There are no laws here that will protect criminals like you!" He threw Joker back to the ground and kicked him in the stomach several times for good measure, before walking away and taking a scroll from the other guard.  


"Obstruction of justice, blackmail, defamation, illegal use of magic… manslaughter, too? Talk about the works. To think all those crimes were led by a punk like this. And you seemed to be enjoying every second of it, didn't you?" Joker moved weakly on the ground at this. He couldn't remember anything about enjoying any crimes. In fact, he couldn't seem to gather his thoughts at all. "You should know your place," said the guard again. He reapproached Joker, knelt down, and swiftly unlocked the manacles before pulling him into a seated position against the wall. The scroll was roughly thrust into his hands. "Sign here. It's a confession under your name."  


Joker weakly read over the list of his supposed crimes, but could barely register what was written there. Suddenly the guard seized him by his collar again, and shoved himself directly into Joker's face. Joker cringed slightly as he could feel the guard's rancid breath on his skin. "Don't expect to walk out of here in one piece," hissed the guard, staring Joker directly in the eyes. "We're going to make you understand that one must take full responsibility for their actions." He let Joker fall again, shoved a quill into his other hand, and walked away. Joker glanced at the black bar where he was supposed to sign, and though a few other options drifted through his mind, he decided the best course of action was to play along and give them his real name. A few scratches of the quill later, and two words in Common had been scribbled at the bottom of the page - "Ren Amamiya".  


Out of nowhere, the pain from the beating intensified as soreness, presumably from other beatings, began to ache through his body. Deliriously, Ren rolled the scroll up and held it out. It seemed like it was forever before he felt it snatched out of his hands, and then the darkness was swirling around his head again. Before he knew it, he was falling into unconsciousness.

In a hallway somewhere in the prison tower, an attractive middle-aged elven woman in a grey silk dress marched purposefully down the hall, clutching a satchel at her side. With a grim look on her face, she turned the corner and was promptly stopped by a member of the royal guard.  


"I'm sorry, but this quarter of the tower is off-"  


"I'm Lady Sae Niijima, from the Houses of Justice," said the woman quickly. The guard's eyes flicked downward to check her signet ring, then he bowed his head the tiniest bit. His cold tone, however, did not change in the slightest. "Houses of Justice? What business do you have here?" Niijima shot the man a glare before edging her way slightly forward.  


"Just let me through, it's urgent. There's something I need to confirm with the suspect."  


"Lady Niijima, I believe the case is no longer in your jurisdiction." Niijima's glare intensified, and she opened her mouth to respond. But, not a moment later, another man appeared from behind her.  


"Lady Sae Niijima." He bowed respectfully to her, but also kept a cold tone. "I received a message from the Lord Chief Justice. He says to get it over with. To be frank, you're being an inconvenience." 

There was a flash of blue light, and Niijima pulled a Sending Stone from her satchel. A blue glow issued from it, and an older man's voice rang out.  


"Niijima. I thought I told you to stand by."  


"I'm responsible for the case, and you're not letting me do an interrogation?" Niijima snapped at him. "I'm not convinced unless I confirm it myself." After a tense pause, the Lord Chief Justice sighed irritably.  


"Good luck to you, then. I'm not expecting much, though." With that, the glow faded, and Niijima, who was quietly seething, dropped it back in her bag. She turned to enter the guarded room, but the guard behind her coughed lightly.  


"I forgot to mention something important. Your time will be cut short; we can't permit you to talk with him for long." Niijima sighed, and the man quickly continued, "It's for your own sake. He's a dangerous one - we don't even know if it's safe to simply meet and speak with him." After another tense pause, Niijima turned back to the door.  


"I understand," she said firmly, before striding forward. The guards quickly stepped back and let her enter the room. It was a small room, much smaller than the one that Ren had been tortured in earlier. There was nothing but a guttering torch, a small table, and two chairs, one of which was occupied with a thoroughly miserable Ren. Niijima approached the table and hooked the satchel over the back of her chair before sitting and crossing her arms. There was a long pause. Ren looked up, the purple bruises painfully obvious on his face, and grinned slightly. "Hey, Sae," he said weakly. There was another pause.  


"I didn't expect it'd be you," she said, softly at first, but then she took on a harsher tone. "You'll be answering my questions this time." Ren chuckled, but it came out more like a hacking cough than anything else.  


"I'll try my best, but they... they drugged me with some potion, I think. I can't really think straight right now." Sae's eyes widened, and she looked to the corner of the room, where a number of glass bottles had been shattered.  


"Those bastards…" she growled under her breath, before turning back to the man. "It seems like you've been through a lot. Almost anything can happen here, and I can't stop them. That's why I need you to answer me honestly. We don't have much time." Ren nodded weakly again, and she pulled a scroll case from her bag.  


"What was your objective? Why did you cause such a major incident? I didn't think it was a prank from the get-go, but I couldn't assemble a case. Because I couldn't figure out anything about it." Ren stirred slightly, and shifted so he could look up at her.  


"Why do you want to know?" he muttered softly, and he saw a cross expression cross Sae's face before she answered.  


"This isn't a matter of whether or not it can be settled at the Houses of Justice! I need to know. This is my case, after all. So. When and where did you find out about those powers of yours? How is it possible to steal another's heart? Now, tell me your account of everything. Start from the very beginning." Ren nodded, and began to try gathering his scattered memories. Where it all began… he paused, and clutched his aching head. It seemed impossible - whatever they'd put in that potion, it had worked far too well. He thought a moment, but his memory of what happened back then just seemed so far away…  


Something flitted in front of his vision, and he jumped slightly. Looking up at it, it looked like a phantom blue butterfly, something he swore he'd seen before, but couldn't quite remember. A young girl's voice echoed in his head as he watched it flutter past. "You are held captive, a prisoner of fate to a future that has been sealed in advance. This is truly an unjust game; your chances of winning are almost none." Ren swore that at that very moment he could hear the clattering of dice, but the sound faded so quickly he assumed it must've been a trick of the mind. The butterfly was hard to believe anyway…  


"But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you… I beg you, please overcome this game and save the world. The key to victory lies within your bonds, the truth that you and your companions grasped. It all began that day - when you started this game, half a year ago. For the sake of the world's future, as well as your own… you must remember…" With that, the butterfly faded from view as, unbidden, memories of that day began flooding into his mind. He sighed and sat up a little straighter.  


"It started half a year ago. About the middle of spring, when I came into the city with the western caravan…"


End file.
